Search form

Bangladesh

Join the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF to Help the Rohingya Children

The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF has rushed to the aid of Rohingya refugee children, immediately contributing $100,000 to UNICEF's efforts to provide clean water, immunizations, shelter and psychosocial support. The Rohingya are an impoverished and stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar who have long faced persecution and worse in the predominantly Buddhist country.

This activation is in response to a heartbreaking crisis that grows more grave by the day: over 800,000 ethnic Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine State have poured into Bangladesh to escape what UN human rights officials are calling "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

More than half of these refugees are children, often unaccompanied. The sheer numbers have overwhelmed existing refugee camps. Children are getting lost in a desperate surge of humanity. “There are acute shortages of everything, most critically shelter, food and clear water,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s representative in Bangladesh.

The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF is a joint undertaking between the Harrison family and UNICEF USA to support UNICEF programs that provide lifesaving assistance to children, including health, education, nutrition and emergency relief.

In 1971, George Harrison and Ravi Shankar staged two concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden that brought together a star-studded cast of musicians to alert the world to the plight of the Bangladeshi people, victims of simultaneous floods, famine and civil war. The Concert for Bangladesh, which supported UNICEF’s programs in the country, pioneered the all-star concert benefit model, which continues to move hearts and raise funds today.

The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF's support of UNICEF programs in Bangladesh are a continuation of this tradition — and the fund has also expanded its reach to other countries where children are in need. For more information on the Concert and the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, visit www.theconcertforbangladesh.com.

How can you help today?

Donate now to help UNICEF get critical aid to the children who need it most.

Amplify your impact: The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF will donate $1 for every Twitter and Facebook share, so please share — and encourage your friends to share, too!